ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 42 Nostalgia for the Ancient Capital

When several leaders rushed to join Davos excitedly, they couldn't help their scalp numb when they saw the tragic image in the canyon. Looking at Davos' eyes, they couldn't help being a little more awed, just like As Xenophon said: "...Davos...you...you are worthy of...Hades...the one favored by God!"

Davos was also in a difficult mood. He kept comforting himself in his heart: This is war!This is war!
"What to do with these Persians?" He saw the soldiers collecting the weapons and armor of the surrendered soldiers, and suddenly felt a little soft-hearted, so he asked the guest Lisopus.

Chrysops's answer was extremely cruel: "After collecting their weapons and armor, cut off all their hand tendons and hamstrings, stab their thighs, and then put them back to give Tissaphernes a headache.

Davos was silent, of course he understood the intention of Cleethorpes in doing this: the mercenaries had no extra food, and no extra manpower to take care of them, and Tissaphernes also allocated manpower to take care of these injured Persians. , the number of soldiers attacking them naturally decreased.

"Davos, you did a great job!" Chrysops looked around and said, "I think the Persians will be scared out of their wits when they see the scene here!"

When Davos led his troops out of the canyon, the soldiers along the way gave them the biggest cheers, covered in blood, because they knew that it was this young leader who led a few people to block a large number of people. The route of the Persians gave the mercenaries a perfect victory.

The young Davos won the recognition of the entire army with his practical actions.

..............................

In the afternoon, Tissaphernes' army slowly arrived at the canyon.

When Tissaphernes saw the tragic scene in the canyon and the wounded soldiers lying on the ground, struggling and wailing, he angrily threw his helmet to the ground, and then sent a small group of trusted troops to deal with the aftermath, and other troops were prohibited from entering. Canyon, but instead go around the mountain and take other roads.

Alireus, who followed Tissaphernes, remained silent. He did not see the body of Artauzus, but it must be among the countless corpses.In the past three days, the two generals who fought against him for power have all died in battle, but at this moment, he did not have a trace of joy, but instead felt a chilling feeling...

In this battle, more than 3000 Persians died and more than 3000 were injured, and no one escaped; the casualties among the Greek mercenaries were negligible.

Perhaps Chrysops was right, and the Persians were so frightened that they did not show up again for several days.This allowed the Greek mercenaries to plunder and march more easily to Larissa, a city beside the Tigris River.

This is a magnificent city.The lower part of its city wall is made of stone, and the upper part is made of adobe bricks. The wall is about 30 meters high, eight meters wide, and about ten miles in circumference.With such a towering city wall, the Greek mercenaries had no interest in attacking it. Moreover, compared with the previous cities encountered on the banks of the Tigris River, this city had few pedestrians, and the fields and villages outside the city were mostly deserted, making it appear a bit desolate. .

"Larissa, it is said that its former name was Kara. It was originally a big city in the Assyrian period and was later taken away by the Medes. The great King Cyrus defeated the Medes, but he was never able to break the city. In the end It was the sun god Mithras who used dark clouds to cover the light of the city of Kara, making its day as dark as the night. The residents of Kara were terrified, thinking that God had abandoned them, so they abandoned the city and fled. Only then did King Cyrus capture the city. This city..." Mariji said.

Ever since Davos learned from Chrysops the importance of "understanding the terrain" for an army general, he has taken Marij with him as a guide.As Hieronymus' adjutant, Xenophon was troubled with many things, and it was no longer possible for him to come and chat with Davos as easily as before.As a businessman, Mariji was not only familiar with the surrounding terrain, but also knew some historical anecdotes about the two river basins, which added a lot of fun to Davos's tense and tiring march.

"Hey, you have the sun god in Persia, and we also have Apollo, who is more powerful?" Matonis, who was in the guard, said suddenly.

Maliji, who was beside Davos, glanced back and said disdainfully: "Mithra is the master of nature, guaranteeing the abundance of vegetation, fertile land, and people's living and working in peace and contentment, so he is worshiped by all things! It is not something a mere god can do. Compared to that!"

"What did you say?! How dare you insult Apollo!!" Matonis angrily wanted to go forward and beat Marij, but Hilos held him back.

Mariji was so frightened that he hid behind Davos, but Davos snapped at him: "Matonis' question did not offend you, but you insulted the gods respected by us Greeks! If you don't apologize immediately, I will not stop their angry revenge on you!" This Persian's sense of superiority inadvertently gave him a headache, and it was time to teach him a lesson.

Marij looked back and saw the angry fire in the soldiers' eyes, and he knew that if it hadn't been for Davos, he would have been torn to pieces.As a businessman, it is his nature to understand contingencies. He quickly bowed his head and apologized sincerely, even giving himself a slap in the face.

Seeing that Marij was forgiven, Davos asked the question he had been wondering before: "Why does this city look so desolate?"

Mariji covered his reddened cheeks with one hand, and said vaguely: "Because the residents here are mainly Medes." After finishing speaking, he remained silent.

Davos thought about it carefully, and suddenly realized: "The Persian court doesn't pay much attention to this area, because it is the core area of ​​Medes and Assyria in the past, and they are afraid that they will rekindle their old flames and even adopt a policy of suppression, right?"

Seeing Mariji looking at him in surprise, Davos knew that he had guessed the main point. He couldn't help but said with some pride: "Let me guess again what methods were used. For example, people here are often transferred to join the army to fight? Levy higher Tax?……"

"Leader Davos, if you are really the one you call God's Favorite, you are indeed completely different from your men who only have muscles and no brains!" Marij looked up at Davos on the horse in admiration, because he had suffered a loss just now. , he whispered: "If you are a Persian and a Persian official, you can probably develop very well!"

Davos smiled and said, "Although Persia is a big country, it's a pity that I don't like it."

"Because you are Greek?"

Davos did not answer. He looked at Larissa not far away and was in a daze: Is he a Greek?Except for this body, his soul, and his thoughts, he still thinks that he is Chinese from the bottom of his heart. The Greek tradition and culture cannot assimilate a person from the 21st century, and it cannot even have any impact on him. It is just the helplessness and reality of the world. The sincere comradeship made him identify with this group.Don't look at the way he usually keeps saying "We are Greeks..." He is all trying to deceive these Greeks, boost their morale, and highlight his status as a leader. In one word - for survival!Therefore, if Persia is superior to Greece and extends an olive branch to it, he will surrender to it without any hesitation, but he looks down on Persia because the political systems of most Greek city-states are more like those of 21st century countries, and even Athens is more Modern society is more democratic, which has a natural affinity for modern people who advocate freedom...

...............................

The next day they marched to Mespora.

"This is Nineveh, the capital of the former Assyrian kingdom. It is said that Medea, the wife of the last Mede king, took refuge in this city after our Persians captured the Mede kingdom. The great Cyrus The king led his army to besiege the city, but because it was the last Mede castle, it could not be captured for a long time. Bahram, the god of war among the gods, saw that the Persians had too many casualties, so he let out earth-shattering thunder and shook the whole city. Captured..." Mariji still serves as a guide and "commentator".

"Haha, the Persian god is really good, and he also helps fight." Matonis mocked from behind. After yesterday's lesson, Mariji ignored him.

Davos looked at this city, which was also located on the banks of the Tigris River, from his horse.The capital of this former Assyrian kingdom is only about 17 meters high at the base of the city wall. Kara is already considered a majestic city, but it seems to be only one-third of Nineveh. It is conceivable that the Israeli military The established Assyrian kingdom became powerful and prosperous when it swept across the Western kingdoms!At this time, the capital city was already desolate and dilapidated. The overgrown weeds and countless thorn bushes on the city wall were swaying in the river wind, seeming to express its current desolation.

A sense of the vicissitudes of history came to mind, and Davos naturally thought of the ancient famous saying "I have never seen the ancients before, and I will never see the newcomers afterward. Thinking of the long journey of heaven and earth, I am alone and shed tears." He sighed: " No matter how powerful a country is, it will eventually perish!"

(End of this chapter)